Distractions
by sharkflip
Summary: Mai's training was impeccable, her powers of observation unrivaled, and her intellect the sharpest weapon in a vast arsenal. If anyone could protect the Fire Lord, she could – if only he would leave her in peace to do the job. Post-canon.
1. Suspicions

**Scene 1: Suspicions**

_posted July 2, 2010_

* * *

Mai's first suspicions came with the soup.

Steam arose from it with a savory aroma that almost overpowered the cloying scent of moon-snake poison. _Sloppy_, she thought with a disdainful frown that the unobservant would mistake for a courtier's simple pickiness. _Sloppy_ _and predictable_. _The same poison three nights in a row - are they really that stupid_?

Mai signaled the lead server, nodding once with a lift of her chin, and he dropped his eyes in subtle acknowledgement. Moments later, a boy hurried forward to whisk the poisoned soup away from the Fire Lord's place. The exchange escaped Zuko's notice as he continued a long-winded verbal swordfight with the visiting governor of Shokang province.

After tasting her wine for poison (her trained palate found no trace), Mai settled back in her chair, sipping thoughtfully as she observed the assortment of nobility and advisors gathered for the night's state dinner.

Palace security had been… _uneven_ at best since the war's end and the fall of Ozai. After the sages crowned Zuko Fire Lord, half the royal guards had been dismissed outright, too stupid or corrupt or cruel to support their new ruler. The other half lacked… _initiative_.

_I suppose I can't blame them_, Mai thought with an inward sigh. Ozai had been quick to weed out any guard who seemed to display "insubordination" – the monarch's way of eliminating those who disagreed with him. Dozens of good officers had been executed or sent to distant mines for "insubordinate" behavior, and their ranks had yet to recover.

The five Kyoshi Warriors tasked by the Earth King as an honor guard to the Fire Lord helped ease the burden. They had the skills and instincts of warriors under the grace of courtiers and the Fire Nation's ministers and generals seemed more charmed than threatened by their presence – an oversight that only made them more useful in Mai's opinion.

The lead server stepped forward to top off her glass. Mai rested her fingers delicately on the rim and shook her head, smiling faintly and quirking her brow. _Anything_?

The server dipped his head, a motion that might appear as mere acquiescence, but Mai understood. _Nothing_.

She sipped at her wine again. Poisoned soup, suspicious gifts, the occasional accident, the usual murmurs of discord heard and reported by maids and attendants… Mai smelled a plot, more odorous and deadly than the moon-snake poison. Alone, any of the "attacks" could simply be clumsy attempts on Zuko's life or dignity, the usual actions of disgruntled ministers and self-described "revolutionaries" who spent more time in the library than on the training grounds. But taken together as a pattern…

_They're testing me_, she thought, allowing her brow to furrow. Let those watching think that she found something distasteful at the table; they wouldn't be far wrong.

Across the table, the Shokang governor harrumphed and turned his attention to his cooling noodles while Zuko relaxed almost imperceptibly. He glanced at Mai, met her eye and smiled for a fleeting moment before addressing the woman seated beside her. The minuscule portions on his plate remained nearly untouched; Mai knew he would eat later, in private, when she brought him a tray and reminded him that he should be hungry. "Minister Xaolei, I have wanted to ask you for some time…"

The excruciatingly polite conversation faded into the background as Mai finished her wine, analyzing the patterns in her head and developing new strategies to protect her oblivious charge.

_Er… _

Boyfriend.

* * *

_Author's note_: time to get this one off the hard drive and into the world. I think I started working on it a year ago and had envisioned it as a one-shot, but I think breaking it into chapter format will help motivate me to get it _finished_. I seriously love this story, and it's the starting point for my yet-unseen canon work.

_PS_: YES, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, I AM WORKING ON _ENSLAVED_.


	2. Observations

**Scene 2: Observations**

_posted July 3, 2010_

* * *

Mai sighed. _I should have guessed that the only role more boring than governor's daughter would be Fire Lord's future consort_.

Exquisitely dressed ministers, generals and admirals in dress uniform, ambassadors in bright colors, and uncounted attendants and assistants moved slowly about the grand hall, _mingling_ before the formal dinner. Before Mai, the Lady Ku Mei of Gyangzoh Province kept talking; her monologue seemed to have shifted from the numerous fittings required for the gown she wore to the departure of her favorite acupuncturist from her favorite spa.

Mai sighed again, allowing an expression of reserved interest to mask her boredom. She knew the required platitudes and prompts well enough to murmur them in her sleep, but resented the common assumption that she was a witless consort. She resented the _expectation_ by many of the court that she play that part, the Fire Lord's wife of old who stayed in the background and minded the children and attended the tea ceremonies. At times it seemed that only Zuko expected differently of her, but he remained oblivious as ever to the subtleties of court behavior.

She almost smiled despite herself. _Zuko_, who insisted that his palace staff call him "Zuko" over their protests, who sparred at dawn twice a week with an ageing professor of astronomy, whose most trusted advisor was a 14-year-old boy who rode a flying bison and any other curious animal he could grab hold of.

Mai watched with affection as he talked earnestly with a high-ranking minister; their body language was guarded but relaxed, and Mai could see that this man, at least, held no hidden threats. She turned her attention back to the guests before her, the threads of intrigue that ran through the crowd. Him? No… Her? Maybe… _There_. The stiff posture, the quick glances behind…

Mai took a dainty bite of spiced fish, wiped her mouth delicately on her napkin and used the motion to camouflage her appraising look. Yes, _there_ – that barely-detectable nod of agreement between a general and a minister's aide. _Those_ two bore watching.

At last, Zuko rescued her from the conversation. "Excuse me, Lady Ku Mei. Do you mind if I steal Mai away for a few moments?"

"Oh, I suppose, Fire Lord Zuko." Mai wanted to roll her eyes at the lady's simpering pout, but contented herself with a gracious nod. Zuko bowed and slid his arm through Mai's.

"I thought you'd never come," she murmured as they moved away.

"Does this mean I still owe you for the Boiling Rock?"

"You'll have to rescue me from Lady Ku Mei a thousand times before you don't."

Zuko lay his free hand on hers and Mai couldn't help but return his smile.

* * *

Mai closed her eyes and allowed herself, just for an instant, fond memories of riding mongoose-dragons through the wilderness with a circus freak and a sociopath, back when decisions were easy and problems were solved with violence and her concerns were of how Zuko would look grown from a thirteen-year-old's awkwardness. Funny; he'd lost less of the awkwardness than she had hoped for, but that was part of what made him _Zuko_.

She hid her smile and opened her eyes and fixed her second-deadliest stare on the official cowering before her. "What do you _mean_, 'the files were lost?'"

The Capital's Chief of Intelligence – a _laughable_ title if Mai had ever heard one – flinched again. "The former Fire Lord – the Lady Azula – the files, they –"

"Spare me the history lesson. If you can't see fit to _do_ your job, I can't see fit to _keep_ you in it. You are dismissed."

"Dismissed?"

"Dismissed. You." Mai turned to the clerk standing a cautious distance behind the desk. "Your insights were as useful as your help – brief, but valuable."

"Thank you, Lady, I –"

"Tell me, what is the biggest hindrance in doing your job?"

"My job, Lady?"

"Your job. Protecting the Fire Nation, its citizens, and its lord. Your _job_."

The clerk swallowed, glanced at the former Chief of Intelligence. "The lack of authority, Lady."

"Authority?"

"Within the office, you see – there are so many _authorities_ we must go through, when we find… anomalies. And then we must wait for clearance, and directive… Before –" wisely, the clerk did not expand on the definition of _before_ "– Before, we answered to General Ghaozong, but he was…"

"Purged. I know – crimes against the citizenry." Mai dismissed the general's legacy with a wave of her hand. "And you are telling me no one has been appointed to take his place?"

"General Kuoka was designated the interim director, but –"

"Sent to lead the Earth Kingdom reconstruction, I know." Kuoka was one of the good ones, she recalled – one of those scarce officers loyal to the Fire Nation, not Fire Lord Ozai or the corrupted Council. "Very well. Until a permanent replacement is designated, you will be the acting Chief of Intelligence, and you will report to me."

"_Me?_"

"You."

"But –" the _former_ Chief of Intelligence broke in, expression pained.

"It is the will of the _Fire Lord_," she lied, and the former chief wilted. She turned back to the clerk and arched her brow.

The clerk bowed hastily. "Yes, Lady."

_The will of the Fire Lord_, she thought later as she strode down the palace corridors. _Well – it _will_ be_.


	3. Revelations

**Scene 3: Revelations**

_posted July 4, 2010_

* * *

"Zuko?"

Mai pushed further into the Fire Lord's main study. "Zuko?" The room contained no Fire Lord, though – only a spare robe draped over the desk.

Mai shut the door and turned back down the corridor. _Where _are_ you?_ The throne room lay empty, as did the inner gardens, the training grounds, and Zuko's own chambers. She cursed silently as she made her way towards the Fire Lord's second study. The seneschal had miraculously arranged no formal state dinner for tonight, which suited Mai's plans perfectly. _We need to talk, Zuko_.

Firelight flickered under the second study's plain door and she nodded to the guards and Kyoshi warrior stationed outside. "Zuko?" she called, pushing it open.

Flames played in sconces and lamps set around the second study, illuminating a table set for two with fine porcelain and lacquerware. Zuko stood beside it, smiling softly.

_Idiot_, she thought, trying to keep the smile from her own face. "What's the occasion?" she asked, stepping towards him.

"Ten years ago, your family came to the royal court." He stepped closer. "You were beautiful, like a perfect porcelain doll." He laughed, raised his hand to her cheek, and her smile rose to the surface. "I thought you were just another spoiled little girl that Azula would have under her thumb, but –" He took her hand, drew her closer. "Azula always did miscalculate." He kissed the back of her hand, then trapped it against his chest. "I wanted to remember that with you."

"Oh Zuko… you shouldn't have."

He smiled again, that warm smile that barely moved his mouth but lit his entire face. "I wanted to. We've been so busy lately, I wanted to –"

Fabric rustled beyond the table, a small sound made loud in the hushed study, and Mai held up her hand for silence. Hurt and confusion warred in Zuko's eyes and she looked away to avoid the distraction as she listened. _There_ – a faint scrape, a shuffle – behind the window drapes.

She moved instinctively, standing between him and the noise. "Zuko… where are your guards?"

The hurt and confusion colored his voice, too. "I ordered them to stay outside. I wanted this to be our own special evening."

_Idiot_. "Zuko, I've been trying to warn you –"

The drapes shivered, then parted as a figure leapt into a room, black and masked and wielding a knife that flashed in the firelight.

"_Zuko!_"

Mai blocked the blade, grabbed the assassin's wrist and dug her fingers into the tendons. He yelped and dropped the knife and Mai shoved him into Zuko. The Fire Lord threw him to the ground as Mai turned to check the rest of the room and shouts rose from outside. The assassin grunted but slithered away as someone pounded on the doors.

"Kyoshi!" Mai bellowed. "Get in here!" She allowed herself an instant to wish that Ty Lee was still in the honor guard, not rotated back to Kyoshi Island, but then turned back to the room. Someone pounded on the doors again, then Mai heard a shout followed by more shouts, a moment of silence, a yelp, and then the doors burst open, hitting the walls with a _bang_.

The Kyoshi warrior started in, but the Fire Nation guards pulled her back. "You can't go in there!"

"The Fire Lord is in _danger_ –"

Zuko looked up, mouth open to shout orders, and the assassin slithered towards the door.

"Protocol _demands_ that –"

"He's getting _away_!"

"You're not _authorized_!"

"_Shut up_!" Mai glared at them all and all fell still – even the assassin. The Kyoshi warrior slammed her elbow into his neck and he dropped to the ground like a stone.

"_You_ and _you_!" Mai pointed to the two nearest Fire Nation guards. "Alert palace security."

"But –"

"I don't _care_. _Go!_ Go, or I'll castrate you _both_!" The guards, one male, one female, looked at each other and departed. Mai turned to the remaining Fire Nation guards. "Make sure _no one_ comes through that door."

"Yes, Lady."

Zuko frowned. "I could have handled him."

"I know." Mai turned to the Kyoshi warrior, who had been joined by two breathless others. "You – Aoi, right?" The leader nodded. "– you guard the Fire Lord. I'll deal with this… failure." She prodded the would-be assassin's side with her boot.

"I'm coming with you," Zuko started, and Mai spun to face him.

"_No!_" She turned to Aoi. "_Sit_ on him if you have to, but _don't_ let him leave this room."

Aoi grinned. "Yes ma'am." She gestured and the other Kyoshi Warriors exchanged grins and turned as one to regard Zuko with friendly menace. He started to protest, then shut his mouth, scowled, righted a chair fallen in the scuffle, and sat in it with arms folded.

Mai nodded once and stalked from the room, dragging her prisoner behind her.

* * *

_One would think_, Mai thought as she shoved the would-be assassin through ornate corridors, _that the line of Souzin would have at least one suitable interrogation room in this thrice-damned palace_. She bit back the irritation as they came to the Jade Wing's generous scullery; she kicked the door open, hooked a chair away from those stacked against one wall, and slammed the prisoner into it. She yanked the mask from his face, dismissed his youth and arrogance with a glance, turned to bar the door, then leaned back against it.

"Now." Mai studied her fingernails, shifting her weight to one foot and allowing boredom to slip across her face. Her prisoner fidgeted but Mai ignored him, allowing the silence to stretch.

"I'll never talk," he finally blurted.

Mai stretched her fingers, tilted her head to look again at her nails, then pushed herself away from the door. The prisoner watched as she stepped to the cupboards that lined one wall, opened a drawer and rummaged inside, pulled a long slender boning knife from within. "I don't care."

"You can't stop us! Even if you kill me, more will rise to take my place!"

"That's nice." She tested the edge of the blade, examined it in profile.

"I'm ready for whatever you're going to do to me!"

"I'm sure." She opened another drawer, found a sharpening stone, set it on the counter, began to sharpen the knife against it.

"They recruited me because I showed no fear!"

"Did they, now." She fell into a steady rhythm, drawing the blade across the stone.

_Scrape. Scrape. Scrape._

"They said that if I infiltrated the Fire Lord's private quarters, they'd be able to plan how to circumvent the palace defenses."

"Mmhmm."

_Scrape. Scrape. Scrape. _

Mai paused, tested the blade against her finger again, frowned.

_Scrape. Scrape. Scrape. _

"I'm a patriot! It's his own fault! If he hadn't imprisoned the rightful Fire Lord, we wouldn't have to do this!"

_Scrape. Scrape. Scrape. _

"I believed them, I really did." His voice fell to a whisper and Mai watched him slump in shame.

_Scrape. Scrape. Scrape. _

"But seeing the Pretender – the _Fire Lord_ – just now, I wonder…"

Mai tested the blade again, nodded once, and turned.

"I'm sorry! I didn't _want_ to, but they made me!"

Mai stepped towards him.

"I didn't hurt anyone! I'll tell you everything, I _swear_, just don't hurt me!"

Mai allowed herself to smile.

* * *

"He didn't know anything. Just some kid with a knife and a dream. He never saw any faces."

The Kyoshi Warrior – Aoi – nodded once. They stood outside the scullery, the prisoner's muffled sobs still audible. "Testing the defenses, looking for weaknesses?"

Mai allowed herself to sigh. "It looks that way, doesn't it."

"The girls and I will double our coverage, make sure that one of us is always near the Fire Lord."

Mai nodded. "I'll deal with palace security." _And the Fire Lord_.


	4. Defenestrations

**Scene 4: Defenestrations**

_posted July 5, 2010_

* * *

Mai nodded to the Fire Nation guards outside the Fire Lord's main study. She pushed open the doors, let them swing closed behind her, nodded at the Kyoshi warrior and Royal guard stationed inside. Zuko sat at the writing table inside, frowning over parchment and scrolls; he glanced up, smiled, and looked back at his work.

Mai watched him for a long time; watched the way his hair, free of the crown, fell in his eyes until he pushed it back, only to fall forward again. She finally crossed the room, sat carefully beside the desk.

"Mai." His voice was warm, but he didn't set down his brush. "I'm almost finished with this."

She sighed to herself and leaned forward, pitched her voice low to keep the conversation private. "Zuko, we need to talk."

"About what?"

"Us."

He glanced up again, his frown guileless. "What about us?"

Mai lay her hand over his. "I'm worried that I'm distracting you. You have enough distractions as it is."

"You're not a _distraction_."

"I just think –" The parchments spread across the table stirred in a sudden draft and Mai looked up, scanning the room.

"Are you breaking up with me?"

The drapes on the garden windows remained still, but _there_, across the study… Mai stood, shifting her weight forward and slipping a blade into her hand.

"Mai?"

"Get _down!_" She shoved him under the table as three wicked blades hit the wall behind him; two fell to the ground with a clatter but the third embedded itself in the plaster.

Mai cursed. Across the room, the Royal guard shouted to the guards in the hall. The Kyoshi warrior lifted a whistle strung round her neck, cut the air with a shrill call. Zuko frowned and pulled his swords from their shelf under his table, separated them and began to roll into a crouch. Mai shoved him back down.

"What –"

"You're the _target_, Zuko – stay _here_." Mai turned away, muttering to herself. "_Stupid_… that's the oldest trick in the book." She leaned out, surveyed the room; figures dressed in black and red poured into the room from the servant's entrance. She took aim, threw the blade in her hand and three others in rapid order, then ducked back behind the table. Screams rang out as she again shoved Zuko under the table, followed by shattering glass, a heavy thump as a body hit the ground outside. "_Spirits_, Zuko, I kept _trying_ to tell you, but you kept _smiling_ and planning these _dinners_ –"

"You_ are_ breaking up with me!"

Mai leaned out, threw another volley of blades and didn't wait for the screams before she pulled Zuko to his feet. Across the room, the Royal guard bent fire towards the intruders while the Kyoshi warrior spun her fans and blocked fire with her shield.

"That's the _problem_ with you, Zuko –" One of the enemies slung flame at them; Zuko bent it neatly away while Mai pulled one of the blades from her waist and dispatched the firebender. "– you don't look _around_ you! You don't _think_! And you _never_ plan ahead!"

Zuko frowned as Mai pulled him towards the main doors. The guards stationed outside had joined their comrade, closing ranks as Mai hurried the Fire Lord away from the swarm of enemies. "What do you _mean_, I never plan ahead! All I do these days is _plan_!"

Two more Kyoshi warriors rushed down the corridor as Mai gestured. "Cover us!" she ordered, then shoved Zuko against the wall as behind them more curses and screams and breaking glass gave proof of the battle. She peered cautiously around the corner, saw no enemies there, and pulled him forward. "You plan _budgets_! And _trade networks_! And _public works_!"

"The Jaozu Aqueduct is going to create jobs and revitalize the surrounding –"

"You don't _get_ it, Zuko!" Mai glanced behind them, noted black-and-red fighters shoving by the guards "People are trying to _kill_ you, and the only reason they haven't succeeded yet is because I've _stopped_ them! _Duck!_" They dropped to their knees as one as arrows flew over their heads, followed by more fine blades. Zuko knocked a few from the air with his swords before Mai yanked him farther down the corridor.

"Why would they try to kill me?"

The hall lay empty before them, opening into a wide balcony that overlooked the Fire Lady's private garden. Behind them, Mai heard the Kyoshi's high calls interspersed with firebender shouts and cries of pain. "Look around, Zuko! You imprisoned your father, claimed the throne, ended the war, severed a whole bunch of lucrative government supply contracts – a _lot_ of people want you _dead_!"

Four Royal guards sprang into the corridor. "_You_," Mai's gesture took in all of them. "Don't let _anyone_ past, or I will _personally_ see that you are tattooed with 'tortures kitten-hawks' and sent to the Boiling Rock for the rest of your short, _miserable_ lives!" She turned away from them, grabbed Zuko's hand and pulled him towards the balcony's dubious safety.

"So what are you saying, Mai?"

"I'm saying you need a _chief of security_, not a _girlfriend!_"

"So you _are_ breaking up with me!"

"If that's how you see it, then _yes!_ Now _go!_"

A black-clad enemy sprang from the shadows before them; Mai leapt forward, but she'd thrown all her blades. The assassin sneered, lifted his sword – Mai swore as she turned, shoved Zuko at the wide window beside the balcony. Surprise split his face as the glass shattered and he pitched through it; Mai forced the worry down as she faced the assassin. A shrill cry sounded and Kyoshi green sprang into Mai's vision; the attacker dodged, his attention broken, and Mai ducked back across the balcony to follow Zuko.

She landed heavily, feeling something in her leg tear, and she bit back a yelp as strong hands helped her up. She smiled despite Zuko's troubled frown, then glanced at the balcony above. No enemies peered over it – _yet_ – so Mai allowed him to sling her arm over his shoulders, help her along the garden path to a secluded – _easily defended_ – pavilion. A high whistle cut the air again, pitched up at the end – the "all's clear" signal, according to her brief conversation with Aoi.

Mai sighed as Zuko helped her onto the bench, then sat beside her. She patted his hand and breathed deeply, trying ignore the pain throbbing in her leg.

Zuko finally broke the silence. "You really –"

"_Yes_."


	5. Decisions

**Scene 5: Decisions**

_posted July 6, 2010_

* * *

Mai paused before the Fire Lord's main study for a long moment before entering. Two hand-picked Royal guards stood ready in the corridor, their posture impeccable; she ignored them, took a deep breath, and pushed the doors open.

The Kyoshi warrior posted inside nodded; Mai raised her hand in acknowledgement and stepped into the room. Zuko sat at his writing table, parchment strewn over its surface. A frown creased his forehead as he looked up.

Mai steeled herself and moved forward, noted appreciatively how the Kyoshi warrior retreated just far enough for privacy, but close enough to be ready. The action pleased her, gave her the courage to continue. She lay a bundle of scrolls on the writing table. "Here are my proposals."

Zuko stared at her. "You're serious."

Mai sighed. "Yes, Zuko, I'm serious. I meant what I said: you need a chief of security more than you need a girlfriend."

"I… I don't know what I'm going to _do_, without you."

His voice broke on the last words and Mai almost forgot her plans, forgot her resolve and his needs; she almost stepped around the table to lean into him and feel his warmth, but instead she inhaled, exhaled, and pushed the longing down. "Cheer up, Zuko. I'm not _leaving_ you. You just need protection, now – not another _distraction_."

His forehead creased in anger this time. "You're not a _distraction_ – and I can take care of _myself_. I –"

"You can take care of _yourself_, Zuko – but can you take care of the _Fire Lord_?"

"I –"

"You're not an _exile_ any more, Zuko, or even a _prince_. You're the _Fire Lord_. We know you can take care of yourself – but we _need _you. If anything happened to you…" Tears stung her eyes, then, and Mai tried to blink them away. "We can't lose you. _I_ can't lose you."

Zuko stood, pushed back his chair so hard it screeched against, stepped forward as if to take her into his arms, but Mai stepped back. She wiped her eyes and crossed her arms and tried to smile. Emotion played across Zuko's face, the hurt and anger and love and confusion, and the smile somehow became real. "Oh, Zuko… I _do_ love you… and that's why I want to keep you safe."

The frown creased his face again, but perhaps – _perhaps_ – it betrayed less hurt. "You certainly have a way of showing it."

Mai laughed, then, and wiped away the last tears. "Well, I suppose we all must make our own decisions." She inhaled, exhaled, and felt peace settle over her. "I'll want to discuss these plans with you soon – especially my proposals for your security at the upcoming wedding on Kyoshi Island."

Zuko frowned. "I thought it wasn't until next year."

"That's the problem with you, Zuko." She smiled. "You _never_ think ahead." She made herself turn away then, and walk to the doors. The Kyoshi warrior stepped up to push them open for her and Mai nodded her acknowledgement. In the corridor, the Royal guards remained still and stoic and Mai nodded again, then cracked her knuckles.

There were going to be some _changes_ around the palace, now – and _she_ was going to make them.

* * *

_End_

* * *

_Author's note_: Oh, dear readers, I must apologize; I didn't realize that so many Maiko fans would stumble upon this fic, not realizing that I am, at heart, a Zutara writer (despite how I strive to resist labels).

I adore Mai, adore how she grows through the series from the spoiled governor's daughter to the kind of woman who gets herself imprisoned for her ideals and still has the heart to forgive. This story is my attempt to do her character justice and allow her to make her own choices, which I hope I've accomplished.

Thanks for reading!


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